


Grey

by Collectible



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: ((only small parts of Kaito and Yuushou)), Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-24 16:26:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7515092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Collectible/pseuds/Collectible
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's not a hero. At least, he shouldn't be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Grey

**Author's Note:**

> One of my stories are finally beta'd!! I'd like to thank my pal driftingstar for reading this over for me!!
> 
> Also: I only watched the ending duel once and I refuse to watch it again, so this is based on memory and what I added to make things 'flow'.
> 
> Hahaha I died along with him.

Dennis knows he’s trapped. He’s on a sailing boat and he’s surrounded by innocent watchers, his old instructor and his two students. He can’t escape because escape means plunging down into the sea and dying, becoming food for the little fish to eat and rid themselves of once it’s time for release.

He’s trapped.

His teacher looks every bit as disappointed as he usually does when looking at Dennis. He’s grown used to it somewhat, but it still hurts to see the one person he looks up to stare back at him like he’ll never amount to anything different. Dennis returns the look, determined to save some face despite his defeat, but he can’t help but falter as an _applause_ of all things starts rising throughout the crowd.

“Eh…?” Accidentally, he lets loose a wondering sound. He blinks, startled as the applause rises and keeps rising, until he can hear cheering whoops and joyful yells.

People are… happy?

He shakes his head. Of course they’re happy. They witnessed an unexpected duel and they’re cheering for the winner. It’s how every other duel goes, so why would this one go astray?

When he returns to staring his teacher down, Yuushou-sensei looks different. His eyebrows are raised and his gaze isn’t the hardened, stiff look he always directs toward him. There’s the slightest hint of a smile--and then it isn’t slight anymore, it’s real, and his teacher smiles down at him like he’s finally learned how to provide his best Entertainment Duel.

Has he learned at last?

It’s odd. He’s done what Yuushou-sensei has always wanted, but he doesn’t know if he’s earned any of the applause.

He startles at the words directed at him. Sensei asks him why hasn’t he responded to the cheers of their fans, and Dennis…

Well.

Why should he?

No one cheers for a loser.

Yuushou pauses at his response. Then he returns to himself, acting like Dennis isn’t right at all. He’s reaching a hand out for him to take and saying Dennis can make even _more_ people smile like now and it’s so--

So--

His expression crumples like a stack of cards. His heart constricts like someone is squeezing on it with all their strength. Dennis doesn’t wait to jerk his body away from the hand and shove himself to his feet.

“I can’t!”

He knows he can’t.

Dennis betrayed everyone; Yuuya, Kurosaki, Ruri, Yuzu, the entirety of the Lancers… Who hasn’t he tricked and used? He can count them on one finger--he’s never been a good enough liar to fool Yuuri, for one--and realizing it makes breathing difficult. He’s betrayed _everybody_. How can he take Yuushou-sensei’s hand and expect anything to change?

Nothing will change. That’s simply how it is.

For the smallest of seconds, Dennis freezes.

That’s simply how it is…

If he’s betrayed everyone, then one last betrayal wouldn’t hurt, would it?

He opens his mouth and reveals everything. The Professor’s most guarded secrets spills out as easily as if he’s telling another lie. Kurosaki Ruri’s and Rin’s location is out in the air for all to hear.

Although it’s absurd, Dennis expects something to stop him in his tracks. Perhaps a random bolt of lightning or a sudden jerk of the ship, but nothing happens. He says what he must and nothing happens. He’s betrayed Academia, his home for who remembers how long, and absolutely nothing happens.

Hmm. He's lying again.

It’s not visible, but _something_ happens.

His decision isn’t an easy one.

His heart beats like a unstable drum as he starts to move backward toward the tip of the ship. He can’t say he’s calm about what he’s doing, but he understands there’s no other way.

Yuushou-sensei notices him first, his students following right after. It’s kind of sweet to see the worry bloom and blossom on their face. Despite his allegiance--previous allegiance?--to Academia, they can still feel for their enemy. How nice…

His foot slides back once more before his instructor demands for him to stop. The worry is still there and it’s accompanied by an intense dread. So he’s realized what Dennis is planning. That’s nice. Yuushou-sensei is as smart as ever.

Dennis keeps moving.

“I can’t return to Academia anymore,” he says. Attempting to keep his mouth shut doesn’t work--he has to speak. He won’t have another chance to do it again. “I’ve told you the Professor’s most guarded secret. He won’t forgive this sort of transgression.”

After a final step, he stops. The faces of his audience have faded from its old joy. They’re expectant and somewhat horrified, frozen like they don't understand. Not something he wants to see before he ends things, but he’ll take it over complete indifference.

Smiling isn’t hard despite the circumstances. He offers the winner of their duel a weak smile and prays he’ll rescues Ruri and Rin, the two innocent girls who should have stayed in their own dimension. But, of course, Dennis ruined that for them, didn’t he?

After Kaito is his teacher. There’s not much to say, aside from telling him to pass on a message to his son. Yuuya probably hates him--ha! Who doesn’t?--but he wants him to know one last thing.

“The days I spent with the Lancers…” Dennis swallows, struggling over the tightness in throat. Not now, not now, he doesn’t have time for any breaks in his speech. “Those days were truly fun. Please tell Yuuya I said that, Sensei.”

Now for the final act.

Taking his eyes off his audience, Dennis twists his duel disk around to face him. His reflection looks weary, a little nervous. That’s no good. He can’t disappear looking like he’s scared, can he?

“What are you doing?!” Kaito exclaims, face twisted in uncomfortable look of anticipation.

Remember, self. Don’t look nervous!

He widens his smile into a grin. It stretches across his face and tugs at his cheeks, but he keeps it going as he responds as cheerfully as possible.

“It’s an illusion!” he announces, throwing his voice until it reaches a volume most can hear. “I’ll show all of you my last entertainment act! Give a round of applause, everyone, as I turn my body--”

Clicking the button is just too easy.

“--into a beautiful card!”

And then Dennis leaps off, sailing clear over the perfect blue sea.

“Don’t do it!”

“Dennis!”

The cloudless sky is so pretty. His body floats in the air long enough for him to enjoy something as simple as looking _up_ … and then he’s falling.

He won’t vanish and call himself a hero. Heroes are lights in the darkness, the righteous characters who fight for what’s right and put an end to evil-doers. How can he be a hero if he _is_ an evil-doer?

But… he’s not a villain, either. Villains are the darkness that overtake the light, those who fight for their own desires and no one else’s, breaking people down in order to rise up and reach even greater heights to inflict even more pain on others.

Dennis doesn’t want that. He’s doing this to _avoid_ that.

So. If he isn’t a hero and he isn’t a villain, then what is he?

Heroes are light. Villains are dark.

He’s made choices on both sides.

He’s in between. Mixed. He’s… grey?

Yes. Okay.

He’s grey.

Dennis is grey.

His duel disk clicks and releases a blinding purple glow to finish him off, and he shuts his eyes to let it happen.

Going out as a grey character sounds _fantastic_.


End file.
